Self-closing filling device for liquid fuel containers



Oct. 24, 1950 F. N. GLOVER 2,527,005

SELF-CLOSING FILLING DEVICE FOR LIQUID FUEL CONTAINERS Filed May 12, 1947 IIIIIIII r/vvewrm.

I. IV. (Hm er affair/var Patented Oct. 24, 1950 OFFICE SELF-CLOSING FILLING DEVICE LIQUID FUEL CONTAINERS Frank N. Glover, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application May 12, 1947, Serial No. 747,550

H 3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to cigarette or cigar lighters consisting of a casing carrying a wick, flint and rotary striker at one end and having a combustible fluid fuel chamber therein supplying fuel to the wickiand-adapted to be replenished with combustible fluid fuel through a filler opening, and particularly to means for closing said. filler opening.

It is the usual practice in cigarette or cigar lighter casings to closeth'e fuel filler opening thereof by a closure plug screw threaded in said opening and having a head flushwith the exterior surface of the casing, whereby it is difficult to remove'the plug to replenish the fuel in the lighter casing and usually requires a suitable tool, such as a screw driver or coin.

It is the principal object of the invention to provide a closure member for the fuel filler opening of cigarette or cigar lighter casings which is readily adjusted to open position to permit replenishing of the fuel in the casing by engaging the spout of a fuel container with said closure member and said closure member automatically assuming filler opening closing position upon the removal of the spout from the closure member.

It is another object of the invention to construct and arrange such a closure member which is readily assembled in the fuel filler opening of the cigarette or cigar lighter casing.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this application,

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a cigarette or cigar lighter with portion of the casing thereof broken away to showthe fuel filler opening and my improved closure member in section.

Figure 2 is a view looking at the bottom of Figure 1 to show the exposed end of the closure member.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the filler opening looking from the interior of the lighter casing.

The embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing as associated with a cigarette or cigar lighter consisting of a casing 4 having a chamber filled with absorbent material, such as cotton, and constituting a fuel reservoir, as shown at 5 in Figure 1. A cover 6 is adjustably mounted on the casing, as by a hinge I, to cover the end of the casing arranged with the usual arrangement of wick, flint and rotary striker, not shown. The wick is extended into the fuel reservoir 5 in the usual mann r, not shown.

To replenish the fuel reservoir with fuel, suchopening and shown in the present illustration of the invention as comprising a boss 8 integral with the wall of the casingand arranged with a screw threaded opening 9 and a circular recess H1 at the outer 'end' of the opening, as shown in Figure 1. The inner end of the boss is flanged inwardly to form an annular abutment H for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The filler opening is automatically closed by a spring influenced-closure comprising'a tubular plug having a shank portion l2 exteriorly screw threaded to be removably mounted in the fuel filler opening 9 and an annular head I3 to be engaged in the recess in when the plug is fully mounted in the fuel filler opening 9. The face of the head I3 is arranged with alined slots [4 in diametrically opposite portions of the head for the engagement of a suitable tool, such as a screw driver or coin, to facilitate the tightening of the plug in the filler opening 9 and removal of the plug from said opening. The outer end of the bore of the plug adjacent to the head I3 is restricted as by an annular flange i5 extended into the bore as a continuation of the head [3 and arranged with an annular seat It, as shown in Figure 1. The seat I5 is provided with a gasket or washer ll of suitable material, such as rubber or leather.

The filler opening 9 is automatically closed by a spring influenced member shown in the present illustration as being in the form of a disk 18 having a conical face l9 merging at the periphery of the disk with an annular flat face 263 to engage the gasket I! and seal the filler opening l9, as shown in Figure 1. The periphery of the disk [8 slidably engages the vertical wall of the annular seat [6. The inner face of the closure disk I8 is arranged with a protuberance if for centering a coiled spring 22 relative to said closure disk. The spring 22 is engaged in the bore of the plug |2I6 with one end engaging the abutment I l and the inner face of the closure disk I8 to yieldingly retain the closure disk in filler opening closing position with the annular flat face 20 engaging the gasket H.

When it is desired to replenish fuel in the chamber 5, the disk i8 is pushed inwardly against the force of the spring 22 to unseat the annular flat face 20 from the gasket H and seat l6 and permit the entrance of the liquid fuel. The conical face I9 facilitates the engagement of the spout of a liquid fuel container, not shown, and

the tilting of the closure disk 18 to unseat a portion of the annular flat face 20 from a portion of the gasket I7 and annular seat l6 and permit the liquid fuel to flow along the conical face l9 into the bore of the plug. To facilitate the flow of the fluid fuel along the wall of said bore and into the chamber 5, the abutment l I may be provided with spaced openings 23, as shown in Figure 3.

The closure disk I8 may readily be assembled in the filler opening 9 by first assemblin the disk and spring 22 in the plug IZ-IG and then screwin the plug in the filler opening 9.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a cigarette lighter, a casing having a filler opening for a combustible fluid in a wall thereof arranged with an annular abutment, a tubular plug arranged with an annular abutment extending into the bore of the plug, said plug being removably mounted in the filler opening with the abutment of the plug spaced from the abutment of the filler opening, and a closure member movably mounted in the bore of the plug between the abutments, and a spring compressed between the abutment of the filler opening and the closure member to yieldingly urge the closure member into engagement with the abutment 0f the plug to seal the filler opening,

2. A cigarette lighter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the abutment of the plug is arranged with a seat, and the closure member comprises a disk having a conical face merging at the periphery of the disk with an annular fiat face to en- 4 gage the seat of the abutment and the conical face facilitating the unseating of the disk.

3. In a cigarette lighter, a casing having a filler openin for combustible fluid in a wall thereof arranged with an annular abutment, a tubular plug removably mounted in the filler opening and having an annular abutment at one end extending into the bore of the plug and spaced from the abutment of the filler opening, a closure disk having an annular flat face to engage the abutment of the plug and a protuberance extending into theplug of slightly less diameter than the bore of the plug, and a spring mounted in the plug and compressed between the abutment of the filler opening and the disk and encircling the protuberance to urge the annular face of the closure disk into engagement with the abutment of the plug and seal the filler opening.

FRANK N. GLOVER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 973,211 Reynolds Oct. 18, 1910 1,310,240 Kessler July 15, 1919 1,435,800 Bland Nov. 14, 1922 1,467,609 Cripe Sept. 11, 1923 1,719,960 Bateman July 9, 1929 1,994,421 Roberts Mar, 12, 1935 2,042,921 Arvintz June 2, 1936 

